


Here We Stand (Forever)

by Coppergold_Mari



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Earth, Fair Game Week (RWBY), M/M, Multi, proposal, tiny bit of Springthyme there at the end
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-23
Updated: 2020-03-23
Packaged: 2021-02-28 16:53:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23270515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Coppergold_Mari/pseuds/Coppergold_Mari
Summary: “Besides. You’re just meeting his family- it’s not like you’re asking him to marry you.”Clover stops short, the tips of his ears turning bright red. Robyn gapes.“You didn’t.”"...No?"
Relationships: Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi, Raven Branwen/Summer Rose/Taiyang Xiao Long
Comments: 13
Kudos: 144





	Here We Stand (Forever)

**Author's Note:**

> You know, I wanted to write a thousand-word fic for at least three of the prompts for Fair Game Week. Instead, I end up with a 3,700 word fic that somehow combines the prompts Family, Hurt/Comfort, and AU. Oops.
> 
> Enjoy!

Clover paces back and forth across the room, the very epitome of the word  _ stress.  _ Robyn, slouched on the sofa with her legs on the coffee table, looks up from her book. 

“Calm down,” she says. Clover continues to pace, turning at one end of the room and moving back towards the other. Robyn sighs. “Rent an apartment with me, he says.” she mutters. “It’ll be fun, he says.” She shoots Clover a look. “I did not sign up to be your relationship counselor.”

“But what if they don't like me?” Clover asks for what must be the fifth time that hour. Robyn gives the same reply she always does. 

“Then they don't like you and you move on with your life.” 

“But what if they don't like me and then Qrow doesn’t like me anymore?” Clover worries. Heroically, Robyn resists the urge to bang her head against the wall and instead swings her legs onto the ground, fixing him with the sternest look she can muster. 

“Clover. You’ve been with this guy for  _ how long? _ ”

“Almost three years,” Clover responds sheepishly, still pacing. Robyn raises an eyebrow. 

“And while I still find it odd that you haven’t met his family, that doesn’t change the fact that three years is a long time. Plenty of time for Qrow to figure out his feelings. There is almost  _ nothing _ you- or anyone else- can do to change that. So calm down.” She rolls her eyes. “Besides. You’re just meeting his family- it’s not like you’re asking him to marry you.”

Clover stops short, the tips of his ears turning bright red. Robyn gapes. 

“You didn’t.”

“..No?” Clover says uncertainty. Slowly, he reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out a small velvet box. “Okay, yes.”

Robyn puts her head in her hands. 

“Oh, my god.” her voice, muffled, rises to full volume when her head shoots up and she glares at Clover. “I take back everything I previously said. You should be very, very worried.”

Clover rubs the back of his neck. “Really? I mean, it doesn’t seem like that bad of a plan. . . I even found a lake nearby.”

Robyn falls back onto the couch, eyes closed. 

“A  _ lake?” _ At Clover’s silent agreement, she shakes her head. “That is. . .” she heaves a sigh. “Honestly, Clover, you are the only person I know charming enough, lucky enough, and stupid enough to make this work.”

Robyn can almost  _ hear _ the smile in Clover’s voice. 

“You think I’m charming?” 

She opens one eye and points toward the door. 

“No. Now get out. Fiona’s coming over.” Clover laughs halfheartedly and swings his coat on, heading towards the door. He’s swung it open when Robyn sighs again. 

“Clover?” He turns back, head tilted to the side. Robyn rolls her eyes. 

“Good luck.”

* * *

Clover hops off the public bus in the neighborhood of Patch, a small community of cottages that sits at the edge of Vale. 225 Cliffside Avenue isn’t far from the bus stop, and it’s only a few blocks before he’s standing in front of a wood-paneled house that reminds him of a camp cabin, albeit on a much larger scale. Taking a deep breath, he steps forward and presses the doorbell. 

The door swings open, and Clover’s faced with open air- until he looks down a foot and discovers two small girls, one blond, one dark haired. The blond one, who can be no more than eight, gives him a skeptical look. 

“Hi?” Clover offers. “You’re Yang and Ruby, right?” The girl stares at him for a bit longer before abruptly turning and shouting behind her, 

“Momma? Uncle Qrow’s boyfriend is here!”

Clover can feel himself turning bright red- and that’s  _ perfect  _ timing, because around the corner comes a petite woman, black hair streaked with red. Yang runs back into the house, Ruby at her heels, and Clover blinks.

_ Kids are weird,  _ he reminds himself. 

The woman smiles at Clover with the force of a thousand suns. This, Clover realizes, must be Summer. 

She takes his hand, grip unusually strong for such a small person, and says cheerfully,

“It’s so nice to meet you, Clover. We’ve heard so much about you.”

Clover grins. “I’ve heard a lot about you too. You and your family are Qrow’s favorite people.” Summer laughs as she turns and starts leading Clover further into the house. 

“Please. Around here, it’s all Clover, Clover, Clover. We’ve wanted to meet you for years.”

Clover smiles as they enter a large, light-filled room. Two couches face each other on different sides of a low wooden table. A TV sits on the wall next to the door they came in, and a wooden staircase on the other end of the room leads up to the second floor. It looks comfortable and lived-in, and Clover’s anxiety is starting to fade. 

“Oh, Qrow’s not here yet, by the way. I think he’s running late.” Summer says. 

And just like that, Clover starts to worry again.

_ Shit. _

A dozen different scenarios run through his head, each more devastating than the last. Clover shakes his head- absolutely _ nothing  _ bad has happened yet- and tries to focus on the room in front of him. 

A blond man is seated on one of the couches, eyes flicking from the tattered notebook next to him to the computer on his lap. He looks up when they come in. 

“Hey!” he greets, still typing away. “Clover, right? I’m Tai. Sorry, have to-” And he’s focused on the screen again, fingers moving at an unearthly pace. Summer rolls her eyes. 

“He teaches at the private school near here- Signal Academy, if you know it- and, as per usual, waited until the last minute to put in his grades.”

“Almost done…” Tai says, typing even faster. 

“And Raven’s upstairs. We should get her, though, she’s been dying to meet you-” Summer cups her hands around her mouth and yells up the stairs, “Rae!” When there’s no response, she tries again. “RAE! Clover’s here!”

This time, a voice answers.

“For the love of God, I heard you the first time! This house is not that big, Summer. Calm down!” Thumping on the stairs accompanies this tirade as a woman with dark hair and bright red eyes walks down, throwing a black hoodie over her shoulders. Clover’s seen pictures of her, of course, but only now does it really strike him how much she looks like Qrow.

Raven tilts her head to one side and fixes him with a look almost identical to the one Yang gave him a few minutes prior. 

“So.” she says slowly. “You’re dating my brother.”

“Yes?” Clover answers, wishing it didn’t sound so much like a question. “I mean, yes.”

Raven gives him another look, then flops down on the couch next to Tai. Summer, as if she’s been waiting for this moment, runs to sit beside her and cuddle into her side. On Raven’s other side, Tai shuts his laptop and puts it on the table, leaning into Raven and laying an arm on the back of the couch. Raven gives a sigh and puts her arms around him and Summer, still managing to look threatening in a way Clover wishes he could replicate. 

“Look,” she says, voice almost a growl. “If you hurt my brother in any way, I will-”

“Wait,” Clover interrupts, hating himself for doing so- what on earth happened to his manners?- but so utterly confused by this turn of events he needs to say something. “Are you giving me a shovel talk?”

All three adults across the table nod in unison, eyes narrowed in a way Clover can only describe as territorial. He blinks. 

“You do realize Qrow and I have been dating for years now, right? Shovel talks are normally something you do at the beginning of a relationship.”

Tai shrugs. “Well, we didn’t exactly have that luxury, considering how long Qrow’s taken to let us meet you. Or tell us anything about you, actually.”

“Seriously!” Summer protests. “We’re not that embarrassing.”

“Well, he is,” Raven says, jerking her thumb at Tai. The blond man huffs but doesn’t disagree. “And we’re not joking here. You will answer to us if  _ anything  _ bad happens.”

“Okay, okay,” Clover says, holding his hands up in surrender. “Don’t worry. I have no plans, immediate or long term, to hurt Qrow.”

Summer nods, sitting back in her seat as Raven’s accusing gaze lets up a little.

“Good.”

* * *

Qrow taps his foot impatiently on the floor of the bus, willing it to keep moving. He’s over an hour late for dinner, and knowing Clover, the poor guy probably showed up at six on the dot only to be accosted by Qrow’s mess of a family. His boyfriend’s probably drowning right now. 

Of course, he wouldn’t be late if the traffic was better. Or if that customer hadn’t dropped her glass, forcing Qrow to stop everything he was doing to sweep it up. Or if his manager hadn’t yelled at him for a full fifteen minutes. Or if…

_ Well. _

If.

Qrow sighs as the bus finally- finally- pulls into the Patch station. He walks off, feet tracing the familiar route to the Xiao Long-Rose-Branwen house. Letting himself in, he hears excited chattering-  _ Yang and Ruby _ \- intermixed with the low hum of conversation coming from the living room. 

Huh. The house isn’t on fire yet, at least. Maybe this won’t be so bad. 

He steps into the room, everyone else falling silent and looking at him. Qrow gives a tired smile. 

“Sorry I’m late. I-  _ oof! _ ” Ruby and Yang attack him almost immediately, throwing their tiny arms around his stomach. 

“Uncle Qrow!” Ruby cheers. Qrow grins, lifting her high into the air and putting her back on the ground. Ruby laughs.

“Hey, kiddos,” he says. “How’re you?”

Yang nods. “Good! Nora and Ren came over and I beat them at foosball!”

“Yeah!” Ruby exclaims, hopping up and down in excitement. “And- and Uncle Clover says he’ll teach us fishing!”

Qrow blanches. 

“Uncle Clover?” he asks in a voice only slightly strangled. He raises his gaze from his nieces to the rest of his family. Summer looks downright devious, Tai is hiding a laugh, and Raven’s staring at him with a calculating look in her eye. Qrow’s eyes swing to his boyfriend, who’s turned bright red, then back down to Ruby and Yang. Yang shakes her head in disappointment. 

“Well,  _ yeah _ ,” she says. “You’re our uncle, and Clover’s your boyfriend, so he’s our uncle too. I’m not _ stupid, _ Uncle Qrow. I know how relationships work.”

Qrow doesn’t think that’s exactly how relationships work, but who is he to argue with an eight-year-old so sure of her rightness? He just gives Yang a (shaky) smirk, ruffles her hair, and flops down on the sofa. Clover wraps an arm around him, and Qrow lets his head fall on Clover’s shoulder. 

“Hey,” Clover murmurs. “You okay?” 

Qrow nods. “Yeah, just a weird day.” 

They sit like that for a moment, in comfortable silence, until Summer coughs. Qrow and Clover look up to see all five members of Qrow’s family smirking at them. 

“So…” Tai trails. “Anyone want dinner?”

* * *

“She really likes chicken,” Clover says, watching Ruby vacuum up everything on her plate. Raven snorts.

“She’s a hyperactive six-year-old. She likes anything you put in front of her.”

“Except vegetables,” Tai says. Raven rolls her eyes. 

“Vegetables are overrated,” she shoots back. “There are other, better, things to eat.”

Tai raises an eyebrow. “Says the woman who eats my Pop-Tarts.”

“Says the guy who owns Pop-Tarts,” Raven replies. Tai shrugs. 

“Touché.”

“Hey,” Summer protests, leaning around Tai to shoot an insulted look at the black-haired woman. “I like Pop-Tarts!”

Tai shakes his head. “We know,” he responds. “Last time we ran out, you broke into tears.”

“I was having a bad day!” Summer protests. 

“Every day’s a bad day for you if you don’t have Pop-Tarts. You inhale more sugar on a daily basis than Ruby and Yang. What about oral hygiene?” 

“What is it with you and oral hygiene?” Summer huffs. 

“It’s important!”

Qrow grins across the table. “You,” he says to Raven, “have weird partners.”

Raven gives him a flat look. “You’re dating a  _ cop, _ ” she says. 

Clover chokes on his chicken. Face going red (again- Raven is honestly enjoying how much he seems to get embarrassed around her) he shakes his head as if to clear it. 

“I’m- I’m not a cop.” he manages. Raven gives him the strongest passive-aggressive glare she can muster. Then, slowly, she reaches into her jacket pocket and slaps a one-dollar bill into the hand of a widely grinning Summer. 

“Then what are you?” Summer asks, mischievous smile growing even larger. 

“A psychiatrist?” Clover says. With a growl, Raven digs another bill out of her pocket and hands it to Summer. “I deal with addiction and the depression and anxiety that come with it.”

A third dollar leaving her possession, Raven clenches her jaw.

“If you say that’s how you and Qrow met-” 

Clover looks surprised. “It is, actually. How did you know?”

“I didn’t,” Raven snarls. “And I am now broke because of that fact.” 

Summer giggles, smiling angelically at Raven. Then she turns to Clover and Qrow. “So? What’s the story? How did you meet?”

Clover gives her a confused look. “Did you and Raven bet on this, too?”

Summer shrugs. “Nah. I just want the gossip. Were you his psychiatrist or something?”

Clover shakes his head. “No, but I worked in the same office. One day…”

He continues telling the story, Qrow jumping in at times to correct him or add another detail. Raven settles back, eating her food in silence as one thought runs through her mind. 

_ Maybe this guy isn’t so bad after all.  _

_ Despite costing me a crap ton of money. _

* * *

Ruby finishes her food, picking up her plate and hefting it over her head to put it in the sink. Yang, who’s already done, jumps down from her chair. Ruby grins and runs over to Mom, tugging on her sleeve until she turns away from the boring grown-up conversation

“Can me and Yang go play now?” she asks. Raven nods. 

“Yeah, but only for a bit, okay? Then it’s bedtime.”

Ruby gives her mom a thumbs-up- bedtime seems so far away- and grabs Yang’s arm, pulling her upstairs. 

“Hunters?” she asks, hopping up and down with excitement. Yang dips into their room and comes back with a crescent of cardboard and two yellow bandanas. Handing the cardboard to Ruby, she ties a bandana around each wrist and punches the air. 

“Bang! Bang! Let’s go!”

Ruby laughs, then quiets down when Yang goes ‘shush!’ Yang pulls her behind a corner next to the stairs. 

“Okay. We need to be quiet.” she whispers. Ruby puts her serious face on. “All the monsters are in Mom and Momma and Dad’s room, so we need to- quit making that face!”

“I’m being serious!” Ruby pouts. “And we’re not supposed to go in their room. It’s a _ rule. _ ” Yang rolls her eyes.

“There are monsters in their room, Rubes. We have to protect our parents!”

Ruby’s eyes narrow. “Protect!”

“We just need to be stealthy and get in there without the monsters noticing. Then we’ll kill them, okay?” Yang continues.

“Yeah!” Ruby whisper-shouts. Yang smiles and bolts across the upstairs hallway, flattening herself against the wall and gesturing for Ruby to follow. They slide along the wall for a few feet until they reach the door to their parent’s bedroom. Yang cocks an eyebrow at her sister, and Ruby gives her a determined look. 

“I’m ready.”

“Three,” Yang says, getting into her running stance and aiming her wrist-guns. “Two…” Ruby readies her scythe. “One!”

They both shoot into the room, Ruby swinging her scythe through the air, cutting every monster she comes across in half. On the other side of the room, Yang shoots and punches the monsters back to wherever they came from. Within minutes, the room is clear.

Ruby jumps into the air, whooping. “We did it!”

“Monsters better watch out.” Yang says. Ruby grins at her, about to say something else about how awesome they are when they hear a thumping on the stairs. 

Yang’s eyes go wide. “Hide!” she whispers. Ruby looks around frantically before grabbing Yang and throwing them into the closet. Just in time, too- Yang has scarcely pulled the door closed when someone enters the room. 

“So,” comes Dad’s voice. “You wanted to talk about something?”

There’s a sliver of light around the door, and it stands slightly cracked open from getting caught on a discarded sweater. Ruby peers out, feeling Yang rest her chin on Ruby’s head and look out too. 

Momma and Dad are sitting on the bed, Mom standing next to them with her red eyes slightly narrowed. Uncle Clover stands across from her, wilting slightly under the gaze. 

“Um, yes,” he stammers. 

Momma tilts her head. “Is something wrong, Clover?” she asks kindly. 

“No, I-” Clover trails. He shakes his head and murmurs a word Ruby has heard her parents say when she wasn’t supposed to be listening. “I wanted to ask for your blessing.”

There’s a stunned silence, and Ruby takes this opportunity to whisper to Yang, “What does blessing mean?”

Yang shrugs. “I dunno. Maybe he’s cursed.”

Ruby’s eyes light up. “Cool.”

She turns back to the grown-up’s conversation when Dad speaks. 

“You want to marry Qrow?” 

Uncle Clover smiles in an embarrassed way. (Embarrassedly? Is that a word? Ruby will have to ask Momma later.) “Yeah,” he says. “I do. And I know we’ve just met, but I’d like to get your blessing before I propose.”

Mom, Dad, and Momma are quiet for a second. Ruby turns to Yang in fright. “What if they say no?” she whispers frantically. “I like Uncle Clover.”

“If they say no,” Yang responds, “They’ll have a good reason. They’re smart.” Somewhat reassured, Ruby nods and peers back at the scene. Mom nods.

“Okay,” she says. 

Uncle Clover looks surprised. “Wow,” he grins, “I was not expecting that.”

“Don’t get me wrong,” Mom says. “I think you’re overly optimistic, kind of annoying, and very blunt. But,” she raises a finger to stop him from saying anything, “you make my brother happy. Far more happy. So if Tai and Summer aren’t opposed to it-” she raises an eyebrow at Mom and Dad, who shake their heads- “then I think you can go ahead.”

Uncle Clover smiles widely. “Thank you so, so much,” he says. “I-”

Unable to contain their excitement, Ruby and Yang burst out of the closet. “You and Uncle Qrow are getting married!” Ruby squeals. 

“Now you’re really Uncle Clover!” Yang grins. 

“Can we be the flower girls?” Ruby asks. Uncle Clover laughs. 

“Calm down. He hasn’t even said yes yet.”

Dad looks confused. “What were you doing in our closet?”

Ruby and Yang stop shouting. Slowly, they turn to each other. 

“Oops,” Ruby murmurs. 

* * *

“So…” Qrow trails as they walk down the now-moonlit path back toward the bus station. “That didn't go too badly.”

Clover snorts. “Too badly? That went great.” He reaches for Qrow’s hand, tangling their fingers together. “I think they like me. Or, at least Summer does, although that might just be because I helped her win a bet.”

Qrow laughs. “Yeah, Summer’s like that.”

They walk in comfortable silence for a moment before Clover turns to him again. “Oh, hey. Question. What happened today?”

Qrow blinks. “Sorry?”

“Your day,” Clover elaborates. “Was it bad? You said something like that earlier.”

“Oh, that.” Qrow waves it off. “Nothing. Buncha accidents and stuff at work. Customer dropped her glass, manager yelled at me, anxiety started up again. Think I’m gonna have to get back on meds.”

Clover stops, giving him what Qrow has christened the ‘psychiatrist look’. 

“That’s not nothing.” 

Qrow rolls his eyes and keeps walking, buut Clover steps in front of him. “Seriously,” he persists. “If you’re having anxiety problems again, that’s big. You can’t just brush it off because you don’t want to be a burden.”

He takes both of Qrow’s hands in his and holds them, looking straight into Qrow’s eyes. “You’re not a burden, okay? And if you have a problem, talk with someone. It doesn’t have to be me- I bet anyone in that house back there would be overjoyed to help you. Just- don’t shut everyone out.”

Qrow shakes his head, fighting the tears that prick the corners of his eyes. “You,” he says, “are ridiculously good at feelings.”

One side of Clover’s mouth ticks upwards. “Well, that’s kind of my job.”

To avoid Clover talking about psychiatry, Qrow kisses him. 

When he pulls back, they’re both breathless, and Qrow grins. “You wanna come over? I don’t have work tomorrow.”

Clover smiles like he’s been waiting for Qrow to ask. “Yeah. But there’s something I want to show you first.”

He pulls Qrow off the sidewalk and into a park of sorts- Qrow vaguely remembers taking his nieces there to burn off some energy. Clover seems to know where he’s going, and it only takes two dead ends until they’re standing on the shore of a small lake- a pond, maybe? Qrow doesn’t know. 

The water’s pretty, though, pinpricks of light reflected in the glassy surface. Qrow stares at it, turning to Clover to remark-

And his boyfriend’s down on one knee. 

And holding a box.

With a ring in it.

Qrow blinks. Is he hallucinating? 

“Qrow Branwen,” Clover says. “Light of my life. Will you-”

Qrow nods, and Clover’s on his feet, pulling the ring out of the box and slipping it on his finger, and Qrow hasn’t said the word yet, he can barely speak, but he does. 

“ _ Yes. _ ”

He says it and he keeps saying it, over and over and over, until Clover kisses him.

And for this moment, everything falls away and the world is perfect. 

* * *

Robyn’s phone buzzes. Half an hour ago, she sent Clover a message- just a quick  _ how’d it go? _ \- and now it seems he’s responded.

_ Great. He said yes.  _

A moment later, another text appears. 

_ Won’t be home tonight. Don’t wait up.  _

Robyn snorts- as if she would- and calls, “Fiona!”

Her girlfriend pops her head out of the kitchen. Robyn smiles at her. “Looks like we have the house to ourselves tonight.”

**Author's Note:**

> Oh look, it's Springthyme. 
> 
> tbh I loved writing Ruby and Yang in this. They're just so... excited. 
> 
> Comments are love!


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